we shall return.”’ Al-Fudayl asked, ‘Do you know what it means?’ The man replied, ‘Explain it to us, Abū Alī.’ He said, ‘When you say, “Indeed, we belong to Allah,” you are saying, “I am Allah’s servant, and I shall return to Allah.” Whoever knows that he is Allah’s servant and that he shall return to Him should know that he will be made to stand before Him. Whoever knows that he will be made to stand should know that he will be questioned; and whoever knows that he will be questioned should prepare an answer. The man asked, ‘Then what is the way out?’ He replied, ‘It is simple.’ The man asked, ‘What is it?’ He replied, ‘Do good in the life that remains, and you will be forgiven for what has passed. But if you do evil in what remains, you will be taken to account for both what has passed and what remains.’”1.

This demonstrates the great concern of the righteous predecessors—may Allah have mercy on them—for the meanings of words of remembrance, understanding what they signify, and realizing their objectives and ultimate aims. It also shows the emphasis they placed on this momentous matter, so that the servant might reap their fruits, their effects might become manifest in him, and their benefits and blessings might be bestowed upon him in abundance.